SURREY — Doug McCallum was first elected to Surrey city council in 1993 and became mayor three years later, defeating former mayor Bob Bose.
In 2002, McCallum drew heat over accusations he tried to boost the city's image by muzzling RCMP spokesmen and the flow of crime information to the public. Despite that, he was elected again in 2002.
Dianne Watts, when she was a three-term city councillor, made political history when she defeated McCallum and became the city's first female mayor in 2005. Watts, who was once McCallum's political teammate before she became his political adversary, won with 45,981 votes - roughly 10,000 more than McCallum's 35,558.
Leading up to the election, Watts had a very public spat with McCallum over charges of bullying.
Also leading up to voting day in 2005, allegations of sexual harassment against a senior manager surfaced at city hall and McCallum ordered a limited investigation.
Watts credited her huge margin of victory to a combination of her platform, which included successfully selling her vision of a balanced approach to growth in the city, and voter anger with McCallum.
The Now